Agent’s Bay

Cipher Code Manual.

The Agent’s Bay was the heart of the station.  This is where the Station Agent sent and received telegrams, sold tickets to passengers, signalled oncoming trains and relayed train orders to engineers and conductors.  The bay windows afforded the Agent an excellent view both up and down the track of approaching trains and the station platform.  The Agent would adjust the arms of the train order board mounted at the right hand side of his desk to manually signal oncoming trains to stop, go or proceed cautiously. 

Main Waiting Room

Intercolonial Railway Coal Oil Lamp with ICR initials.

Enter the Main Waiting Room (men’s waiting room) where passengers purchased their tickets at the ticket window, and waited on wooden benches for their train.  The interior of this waiting room has been restored to the original appearance. 

Ladies’ Waiting Room

The Ladies’ Waiting Room served as a separate waiting room for women travelling alone or with children.  It was a retreat for women who wanted to escape the noisy men, and hustle and bustle of the station.  This room now displays an assortment of railway artefacts including many Intercolonial Railway (ICR) items - switch locks, a journal cover and a brass hacksaw, a track guage with a spirit level, daily running sheets for the Hopewell and Sydney subdivisions for a day in May 1962, as well as a model of the Grand Narrows Railway Bridge (near Iona) and of a second railway bridge (trestle). 

Solid Brass Intercolonial Railway Hacksaw with ICR initials.

Express/Baggage Room

This small room has been left basically unchanged, as it was built, to enable visitors to see the stacked timber construction that made the structure of the building so strong and durable.  Various artefacts are on display – please note the original station lamps, the large brass locomotive bell, and the wooden simulated #1131 locomotive front. 

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